The Longest Journey
by FreezeDriedRose
Summary: ...begins with the first step. For Dave Karofsky that step is realising that he can't lie to himself anymore. Karofsky/OC relationship with some Karofsky/Kurt/Blaine friendship.  Apologies for the lame title.
1. Prologue

**A/N 1: You should be warned that I'm Australian and while I have attempted to use Americanisms as much as possible there's a good chance I may have misused some of them or let some Australianisms sneak through.**

* * *

><p>Dave Karofsky studied the mirror intently, trying to make sense of the reflection staring back at him. What he saw looked like a stereotypical high school jock. Not the super-attractive, charismatic, leading man type that girls in lame chick flicks swooned over. More like the extras they hired to flesh out the rest of the team that had to look as ordinary as possible so the star would stand out.<p>

Big, chunky.

"…_chubby boys who sweat too much…"_

_No, don't think about that._

Not ugly, but definitely not attractive either. Probably not particularly intelligent.

_Not true, but it's easier if I let them think that._

Popular enough. Respected, but never going to be top dog.

_Gay._

How in the hell was that supposed to fit with the image in front of him? He just looked painfully average. There wasn't the tiniest little thing in his appearance to suggest that there was anything unusual about him. Not like Evans with his too-blonde hair or Hudson with his tendency to absent-mindedly hum Journey songs.

He was at a loss to figure out how to reconcile what he knew about himself with what the world was constantly telling him he was supposed to be. He'd spent so long fighting it with every ounce of his being, trying desperately to be normal.

_Whatever the hell _that_ means._

He'd spent every day constantly looking over his shoulder. Carefully analysing every question to try and calculate the answer the person asking wanted to hear.

_Is that what I was supposed to say? Did I say it right?_

But it had all gone wrong. One mistake had led to another and another and it had all snowballed until he was buried at the centre of gigantic ball of chaos with no idea how to even start digging himself out.

In a way, it seemed Kurt leaving had turned out to be a good thing for both of them. Kurt had found some fancy private school boyfriend and come back even more confident than he had been before Dave had started using him as a target for his own self-loathing, and Dave had had time to cool off without being constantly reminded of his problems and get over his crush on Kurt. Now the only feelings he had regarding his former victim were an overwhelming sense of guilt tinged with admiration and a little jealousy. He was haunted by images of Kurt's face that were burned into his memory.

_Shock, horror, disbelief, hurt, as he pushed Dave away in the locker room. _

_Complete and utter defeat, not even bothering to pick himself up, just hugging his knees to his chest on the hallway floor._

_Fear, anger, as Dave took the wedding cake topper from him. Not as much anger as there should be. _Don't let me do this to you_. _

_And the one that hurt the most to think about: total compassion and understanding. "I know. I know."_

Kurt had every right to despise him for all eternity but he had not only forgiven him, he had tried to help him.

_And you repaid him by leaving him on the dance floor to face all that humiliation alone. Good job Dave. _

And then, irony of ironies, _Kurt_ had come to apologise to _him._

"_I should never have pushed you to come out. It was selfish of me. You need to deal with this in your own time, and you need to learn to accept yourself first."_

_I'm trying, Kurt, I swear. _

_Ok, here goes:_

Dave looked his reflection squarely in the eye and took a deep breath. "I'm Dave Karofsky. I play football. I used to play hockey… I also kind of like dancing… I'm good at math, especially calculus… I'm…"

_Come on, you coward, just say it. It's just two little words._

"I'm Dave Karofsky and I'm… I'm gay."

He'd expected to feel different but he didn't really. Well, he felt a little stupid for sitting there alone in an empty house talking to his reflection, but other than that, nothing. Maybe that was a good thing; it meant he was just confirming something he'd already accepted was true.

He supposed it wasn't really the words that mattered, more the decision they represented. He had no plans to say those words to anyone else any time soon but he was done with lying to himself. It had somehow managed to hurt him more than acknowledging that there was an inherent part of him that would make so many people hate him without question. Now he had over two months where he wouldn't have to deal with all the expectations everyone at school had of him. He could do this. He had to. For his own sanity and the sanity of everyone around him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2: I know I'm not much of a writer. I have never written fanfiction before and quite probably never will again. But this story just kind of forced its way into my head and wouldn't leave until I wrote it down, and once I had it written down I figured I may as well post it. I'm planning to post a chapter a day and there are going to be either 10 or 11 chapters. (I've written 11 but I don't like odd numbers so I think I'm going to combine two of them.)**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: I picture Mitch Hewer as Alex. http: / / i56. tinypic. com/famt11. jpg (remove spaces)**

**I'm taking advantage of the fact that Glee seems to exist in an alternate universe where Westerville and Lima are much closer than they are in real life.**

* * *

><p><em>There is something seriously wrong with being up this early on a Sunday during vacation,<em> Dave thought to himself as he drove into the parking lot at the mall in Westerville where he'd found a summer job. Normally when he had more than a week where he didn't have to get up for school he would gradually become more and more nocturnal, staying up until the early hours of the morning reading or playing video games then sleeping in until almost midday. At night there was no one around to judge him or expect anything from him. This summer, however, he wanted to spend as much time away from Lima as possible. It was going to be a lot easier to figure himself out if he was surrounded by strangers who didn't have any preconceived ideas about who he was supposed to be.

When Dave arrived at the music store, Michelle, the store manager, who he'd met at his job interview, was waiting. "Hi Dave. Ready to get to work?"

"Sure." Dave hoped he sounded enthusiastic.

"I'm just here to give you a quick induction then I'll leave it up to Alex to show you the ropes." She indicated the small, blonde ball of energy who had bounced out from behind the counter at the sound of his name. "The two of you are going to be working the same shifts. Just to confirm, your hours are nine till twelve on Sunday and one till five Monday and Wednesday."

Alex held out his hand to Dave "Alex Harper, pleasure to meet you."

"Dave Karofsky." As they shook hands Dave's eyes were drawn to the light but well-defined muscles of Alex's arm. They travelled up to his face, taking in the sunny smile and bright eyes that were almost obscured by his straight blonde hair. The warmth of Alex's hand in his lingered longer than it should have after they let go.

_Ok, there's no denying that this guy's hot._

Dave did his best to silence the little voice in his head that wanted to shove those kinds of thoughts to the back of his mental closet.

_Hey, look at that, you just let yourself think of another guy as attractive and the world didn't implode, who knew?_

Why was his subconscious suddenly sounding like Kurt at his most sarcastic?

He tore himself away from his introspection when he realised that Michelle was talking to him about fire escape routes.

* * *

><p>After Michelle left, Dave found himself sitting behind the counter with Alex, who was far more upbeat than anyone had a right to be at nine fifteen on a Sunday morning.<p>

"So are you a senior next semester too?"

"Yep, at McKinley."

"You're driving here from Lima every day?"

"All the local jobs were taken." It was the same lie he'd told his parents. He was finding it far too easy to lie to them these days. "What school do you go to?" _Please don't say Dalton._

"Westerville North."

At that moment they were interrupted by their first customer of the day. Dave resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the Justin Bieber CD the girl was buying. Alex demonstrated how to use the cash register, including the correct way to hit it when the drawer refused to open.

Dave glanced towards the front of the store and noticed that the mall still looked pretty quiet. Apparently most people were enjoying the sleep-in Dave had been deprived of.

Alex started talking animatedly the second they were alone again. Dave was getting the impression that he wasn't the type of person to be comfortable with silence. "Looks like we're going to have plenty of spare time on our hands today. I suggest we use it to get to know each other since were going to be working together so much."

Dave didn't reply.

"Ok, I guess I'll start then. I'm a hopelessly obsessed sci-fi geek with a tendency to ramble on about my favourite shows to anyone who'll listen so feel free to tell me to shut up if I annoy you. Actually I just talk a lot in general, as you've probably noticed. I have completely random taste in music and I change my mind about who my favourite band is every week. At the moment it's Panic! at the Disco. I'm also a dancer."

_That explains why he's so toned._

Dave realised Alex was looking at him expectantly. He'd planned to just say something vague about sports or something but Alex's eyes were so honest and free of judgement and they were probably never going to see each other again once summer was over so it wouldn't kill him to be a little more truthful.

"I guess I'm not really sure who I am right now," he admitted softly. Alex was quiet for once, clearly waiting for him to elaborate. "I thought that the easiest way to get through high school would be to get in with the popular crowd. I put all my energy into trying to be like them, to be _normal_. But I ended up becoming so paranoid they'd realise that I'm different, and then I tried even harder to fit in, and it all went too far and blew up in my face. And now I don't want to be that person anymore, but I can't remember how to be myself either. And even if I could I'd probably be too much of a coward to try"

Alex gave him a sympathetic smile. "Well, I can assure you that being normal is completely overrated. And if you're trying to figure out who you are, why don't you start with something basic. What kind of music do you like?"

Dave shrugged. "I don't really know; I just listen to whatever everyone else seems to be listening to."

"Just tell me a song you like."

Dave was about to shrug again when he remembered a song he'd found himself listening to many times since Kurt's return to McKinley. "Um… Saving Me, by Nickelback?"

"So you like rock music?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Alex fumbled around in his pocket and pulled out an iPod. "I've got a cousin in Australia who's always recommending these random rock bands to me. Have a listen, see if you like any of them," He held the iPod out to Dave.

Dave saw that Alex had opened up a playlist entitled 'Danni's Music.' He listened to the first song, Wild at Heart by Birds of Tokyo. It had a pretty cool sound. He started to hand the iPod back to Alex.

"Did you like the song?" Dave nodded. "Well why don't borrow the iPod for the night; broaden your musical horizons a bit."

"You sure?"

"You seem pretty trustworthy."

Dave pulled out his own iPod. "How about we swap, to make it fair." Alex accepted the trade.

The store was getting busier, so it was a while before they had time to talk again.

"Alright, I have to ask, do you like science fiction at all?" Alex enquired a little sheepishly. "Sorry, I kind of have a one track mind."

Dave smiled. "That's ok. I've never been particularly into it but I guess I like it in comics and stuff, like X-Men."

"So there's a possibility I could convert you. Be careful, I may try to force you to watch Doctor Who sometime. It's quite possibly the best TV show in existence."

Dave decided he really liked the way Alex's whole face lit up when he talked about something he was so enthusiastic about. "I'll take your word for it."

"So have you seen the new X-Men movie yet?"

"Not yet, haven't had time."

"You should, it's awesome."

The easy conversation continued for the rest of the morning in between serving customers. Dave couldn't remember the last time he'd had someone he was this comfortable talking to. By the time they finished work it was requiring very little conscious effort to drop the mask that had been almost constantly glued to his face for the past three years.

* * *

><p>When Dave arrived home he heard several voices coming from the direction of the living room. He cringed as one particularly loud voice stood out from the others.<p>

"I arranged for Chastity to be transferred to Crawford the second she told me. It's disgusting, a school allowing two boys to attend prom together. What did they think would happen? And so not only did she have that abomination flaunted in front of her on what was supposed to be such a special night, she had the chance of being prom queen taken from her. McKinley is a disgrace. You should get David out of that cesspool too, Harriet."

It was Mrs Pearson; the reason Dave tried his best to avoid being home when his mother's Bible study group were meeting there. She was the type of person who was convinced that her own opinion was the only one that could possibly have any merit and never hesitated to share it. She was also one of the most homophobic people Dave had ever met. Her daughter was a particularly vapid cheerleader that he had fortunately never had to associate with.

Dave didn't hang around to hear his mother's response. He had never heard her argue with Mrs Pearson. She never specifically agreed either, but Dave couldn't be sure she didn't share Mrs Pearson's beliefs.

When he reached his room he closed the door but couldn't completely block out the sound from the living room. Even when he couldn't hear a word she was saying, Mrs Pearson's muffled voice still sent shivers down his spine like fingernails on a blackboard. He took out Alex's iPod to drown her out. He started off listening to the playlist Alex had shown him, but soon found himself searching through the other songs on the device, trying to get a better sense of the boy who owned it.


	3. Chapter 2

By Wednesday, Dave was starting to think that this summer might turn out to be not half bad. He was enjoying working at the music store, mostly because it kept him away from Lima and everyone who knew him there, and because Alex was so easy to talk to.

_Not to mention easy to look at._

Alex was such an enthusiastic, positive person that Dave found it almost impossible not to share his infectious good humour. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this free.

He should have known it couldn't last.

Alex was trying to explain the concept of Time Lord regeneration, and Dave was completely confused, mostly because he kept getting distracted by how gracefully the other boy's arms moved when he used them to emphasise what he was saying, or how well the store-logo t-shirt that was their uniform hugged his shoulders, or how his eyes…

That was when he heard two all too familiar voices coming from the entrance to the store.

"Blaine, why don't you just buy it on iTunes, we've wasted enough valuable shopping time as it is."

"I just prefer to have the actual CD. What if my computer crashes and I lose all my music?"

"That's why you have a back-up drive, sweetie."

"Well what if my house burns down and I lose my computer _and_ my back-up?"

"If that happened, wouldn't you lose all your CD's too?"

"How about we stop arguing about this and just buy the CD so we can move on to the stores you want to go to. And I didn't hear you complaining about losing valuable shopping time while we were 'practicing.'"

Just as Dave was debating whether or not it was too immature to duck down and hide behind the counter, Kurt spotted him. They both froze, but Kurt recovered quickly.

"Hello David."

Dave stared at him dumbly for a moment before managing a strangled "Hi."

The air was thick with tension and Dave was only dimly aware of Alex tactfully asking Blaine if he wanted any help finding the CD he was looking for.

"So I take it you're working here for the summer?"

Dave nodded.

_How can he manage be so casual. I almost wish he would hate me like he used to. At least that would make sense._

"Are you enjoying it?"

"Yeah, actually," he said honestly. "It's good to be out of Lima."

Kurt smiled a little. "I can understand that."

_How? How can you possibly say you understand after all the horrible things I did to you? I don't deserve your forgiveness._

Kurt must have read the turmoil in his expression. "Look, David, I know you're going through a difficult time right now, so I'm going to give you my number in case you ever want to talk about anything. I meant to do this after prom but you didn't really give me a chance to."

Dave accepted the small piece of paper Kurt handed him but he was pretty sure they both knew he wasn't likely to call.

Unable to meet Kurt's eyes anymore, Dave glanced to his left where he saw that Alex and Blaine were watching the two of them curiously.

* * *

><p>A few hours later they were tidying up the store, preparing to leave.<p>

Alex bit his lip, uncertainty written all over his face. "Dave, can I ask you something?"

Dave hesitated. He wasn't sure how much Alex had heard of his conversation with Kurt or what he might have inferred from it. He shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant "Sure, I guess."

"Are you gay?"

Somehow those three little monosyllabic words managed to hit Dave with all the force of a freight train. He felt like his stomach had turned to ice and plummeted to the ground. It took him a moment to remember how to form words.

"H-how did you know?" he eventually managed in a breathless whisper.

Alex looked taken aback by Dave's reaction "Well I didn't, I mean, not for sure. I was just, um," he suddenly seemed to find his shoes fascinating, "I was just kind of hoping you might be because I really like you," he continued so rapidly Dave could barely understand him. "And I thought there was a chance you were because the first time we met I thought I saw you checking me out and then when I saw you talking to that guy this afternoon, the way you were so awkward around each other made me think he might have been your ex or something. But I didn't know if I was just seeing what I wanted to see. I didn't know for sure until just now. I don't think anyone else would notice so if you're worrying about that you don't have to." Alex finally managed to stop rambling like a madman and warily raised his eyes to Dave's.

"Oh," was all Dave was able to say, still trying to process the river of words that had just been hurled at him.

"So… is there any chance you might like to go out with me sometime?" Alex studied Dave's face with cautious hopefulness.

Now it was Dave's turn to stare at his shoes like they might hold all the secrets of the universe. "You barely even know me," he said despondently.

"Well that's kind of the point. I'd like to get to know you a lot better." Alex's playful smirk was starting to make a reappearance, though he still looked a little nervous.

Dave sighed. "I don't think you'd like me very much." He sounded resigned.

"Well isn't that up to me to decide?"

Dave huffed exasperatedly. "You want to know why things are so awkward between me and Kurt? It's not because he's my ex it's because I'm an asshole. I was really messed up because I'd just started to realise that I – that I wasn't into girls and I took it out on him. He's always been so proud of who he is and I kind of had feelings for him and it felt like he was always right there flaunting everything that was _wrong _about me in my face all the time so I bullied him. Then I kissed him against his will, threatened to kill him if he told anyone, and bullied him even more. It got so bad he had to change schools." Dave turned away, but not soon enough to hide the tears that were forming in his eyes. "So that's who I am. I'm a screw-up and you should probably stay as far away from me as you can." He was surprised when, after a moment, he felt Alex's hand on his arm.

"You may have been an asshole in the past but I haven't seen any evidence in the time I've known you to suggest that you're still that person." His voice was calm and matter-of-fact. "Obviously I wasn't there, so I don't know exactly what happened but it seems to me that you were scared and you made some mistakes and that doesn't mean you can't change for the better. From what I've seen you've already started to."

Dave was still staring at Alex's hand, not like he was uncomfortable with it being there, just like he couldn't quite figure out _why_ it was there.

"If you don't mind me asking," Alex continued, "do you still feel that it's wrong for you to be gay?"

Dave stared down at his own nervously twisting hands, which looked rough and gigantic in comparison to Alex's slightly smaller and much more elegantly formed fingers. "I don't know. I just know that I can't fight it anymore."

Alex nodded pensively. Then he smiled softly and squeezed Dave's arm. "So are you free Friday?"

"You really want to go out with me?" Dave's disbelief was evident in his voice.

"I really want to go out with you. We could go see that X-Men movie."

Dave's face fell. "I… It's not that I don't want to, it's just that, I mean, I haven't even told my parents yet and..."

"And you're worried about people seeing us?"

Dave nodded, looking everywhere other than at Alex.

"So come over to my place instead. I'll finally go through with my threat to introduce you to the wonderful world of Doctor Who. My mom won't be home till late so we'll have the place to ourselves most of the evening. We don't even have to call it a date if you don't want to, it can just be two friends hanging out."

"Um, yeah, that'd be cool I guess."

"Awesome, I'll text you my address. Is seven o'clock ok?"

Dave made a small noise of agreement. They both stood there awkwardly for a moment until Alex broke the silence "Well… I guess we both have homes to go to now so I suppose I'll see you Friday. You go ahead, I'll lock up."

Dave headed towards the door, glancing back at Alex just before he walked through it to try and convince himself that the last fifteen minutes had actually happened.


	4. Chapter 3

Dave stared at his closet, realising he had no clue what he was supposed to wear, especially since they hadn't really clarified whether this was supposed to be an actual date or not. What if Alex cared about clothes as much as Kurt and Blaine did? Gay guys were supposed to be all fashion-conscious weren't they? _You're a gay guy too, remember? You've never cared about clothes, who's to say Alex isn't the same, _some more rational part of his brain reminded him. This would be so much easier if he'd ever seen Alex in anything other than his work clothes.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his bedroom door.

"Can I come in?" It was his mother.

Dave opened the door. "I didn't realise you were home yet."

"I managed to finish work early for once. I was hoping we could talk, I feel like I've hardly seen you lately."

Dave shrugged indifferently, making no attempt to continue the conversation.

His mother looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry I've been away from home so much recently, I feel like I'm neglecting you. Especially with everything that happened at school last year. I worry that part of the reason you started acting out might have been because you were angry with me."

Dave stared at her in surprise "No, Mom, of course not. I know how much you love your job and how great that promotion's going to be when you get it."

"Just please remember that I love you more."

_Would you still love me if you knew the truth?_

"I know that and I love you too." He paused, trying to figure out a way of relieving his mother's concerns without revealing too much. "Last year I was going through some stuff, I'm not ready to tell you exactly what, and I handed it really badly. What happened was my fault entirely; you had nothing to do with it." She looked a little disappointed that he didn't tell her any more than that but she didn't push.

"Well I'll be here when you are ready to talk about it, ok?"

Dave nodded. "How about for now you just help me figure out something to wear; I've kind of got a date tonight."

His mother smiled; clearly relieved he wasn't shutting her out of his life completely. "With Santana?"

"No, with someone else."

"And does this someone have a name?"

Dave couldn't bring himself to lie to his mother after the conversation they had just had, so he decided to employ some creative truth-telling instead. Thank God his date had an androgynous name.

"Alex. We work together."

"Where are the two of you going?"

"Just to Alex's house to watch movies and stuff," he explained. "I know Alex has feelings for me but I'm not really sure how I feel yet so we kind of decided that it doesn't have to be a date if I don't want it to be. That's why I'm not sure what I should wear."

"Well how about that shirt I bought you last week. If you wear that with your black jeans you'll look neat but not overdressed."

"Sounds like a plan. Thanks, Mom."

"I'll let you get changed." She kissed him on the forehead before she left. Dave couldn't remember the last time she'd done that. He couldn't remember the last time he'd let her.

* * *

><p>Dave arrived at Alex's house at about five minutes to seven, which was a good thing because he needed those five minutes to work up the courage to knock on the door. Alex opened it almost immediately. It seemed that Dave's concerns about Alex's fashion sense had been completely unnecessary, as the shorter boy was dressed fairly simply in skinny jeans and a dark blue t-shirt with the words 'The Angels Have the Phone Box' printed on it.<p>

"Hi." Alex greeted him with a shy but genuine smile.

"Hi." Dave tried to think of something else to say, but failed. At least Alex seemed equally nervous.

"Um… Come in." Alex led Dave into a small but obviously well used living room. Everywhere he looked he saw little personal touches like the framed photos on the walls and the handmade quilt hanging over the back of the couch. "Do you want something to drink?"

"No, I'm good."

"I was thinking we'd order take out so would you prefer pizza or Chinese?"

"Pizza sounds good."

Alex went to order, leaving Dave alone in the room. He went to examine the pictures, which were mostly of Alex at various ages, sometimes with a woman who had the same blonde hair, although her eyes were darker.

"That's my mom," Alex confirmed when he walked back into the room and followed Dave's line of sight. "She's a nurse. She works late at the hospital on Fridays, that's why she's not here right now."

"So…" Dave hesitated, not sure if he should ask. "I take it your dad's not around?"

Alex shook his head. "He took off before I was even born. I used to wish he'd come back, but eventually I realised that I'm probably better off without him. I mean, he completely abandoned his eighteen year old girlfriend when she was pregnant with his kid. Do I really want a guy who would do that in my life?"

Dave nodded. "Fair enough."

"What about your parents?"

"Well I've still got both of them and they're still together, so I guess I'm luckier than a lot of people. They're pretty good as far as parents go, I just don't know how they'll react when they find out I'm gay and because I'm not ready to take that risk yet, I feel like I can't really talk to them about anything anymore."

Alex took Dave's hand and squeezed it, the action somehow managing to surprise them both. He blushed as he let go. "So shall we put on a DVD?"

"Sure." Dave followed Alex over to the couch.

"Just promise me you won't judge the entire show by the first episode, it's definitely not one of the best." Alex said as he put the disc in the DVD player. "I was tempted to skip straight to season two but you'll understand everything better if we start from the beginning." He sat next to Dave on the couch. They weren't quite touching but they were close enough that Dave could feel the warmth radiating from Alex's body. He found himself mourning its loss twenty minutes later when Alex got up to get the pizza.

* * *

><p>Three episodes later Dave had to admit that, while he'd probably never share Alex's obsession, he did like the show and he definitely liked watching Alex watch it. The way he smiled fondly at certain lines or grinned and tensed slightly with excitement when he knew one of his favourite scenes was coming up was completely adorable. Dave found himself asking any question he could think of just so he could see the way Alex's face shone with enthusiasm as he explained how the TARDIS was more of a living creature than a machine or how the sonic screwdriver could do pretty much anything except open wooden doors.<p>

As the evening went on, Dave found himself telling Alex little things he'd never really shared with anyone before, like how much he loved the Sherlock Holmes books he kept hidden in the back of a cupboard for fear of being branded a geek, or how he'd always liked pulling things apart so he could figure out how they worked.

When Dave glanced at the clock he was surprised to see how late it was. "I guess I should probably go." He said reluctantly.

Alex stood up and held a hand out to Dave. "I'll walk you out."

"I had a really great time tonight," Dave told Alex when they reached his car.

"So did I. Maybe we could do it again next Friday."

"I'd like that." Dave still made no move to get into the car. Instead, he found himself moving closer to Alex. He tentatively took the other boy's hand.

Slowly, Dave leaned forward to brush their lips together. Alex eagerly returned the kiss, his free hand moving to the back of Dave's neck to pull him closer.

Eventually they moved apart, but Dave kept hold of Alex's hand for a moment while he tried to regain enough coherency to process any thought other than _Wow_.

"Um… I do kind of have to go now," he said eventually.

"I know." Alex squeezed his hand before letting go. "I'll call you tomorrow."

Dave wasn't quite sure how he managed to tear his eyes away from the gorgeous boy in front of him long enough to get in his car and drive away.


	5. Chapter 4

Friday nights at Alex's house became a regular occurrence, one that Dave looked forward to all week. Even though he saw Alex at work three times a week, they were in public most of the time and had to be discrete. Dave was aware that he was falling fast for this boy and, incredibly, Alex seemed just as enamoured.

On the Sunday that followed their third sort-of-date Dave invited Alex over after work as both his parents were going to be out of the house until late afternoon and he didn't want to have to wait another five days to be alone with his boyfriend again. As soon as they closed the front door Dave pulled Alex into a tender kiss.

"I've been dying to do that all day. I hate being so close to you and not being able to touch you."

"So do I. Every time you did or said something cute, which was about every five minutes, I had to remember that I couldn't even hold your hand or anything." Alex planted a quick, chaste kiss on Dave's lips. "Where's your room? I want to see it." Dave hesitated. "Come on, it's only fair. You've seen my room plenty of times."

"But everything in your room, all your posters and your photos, it's all an expression of who you are. My room only shows who I'm pretending to be."

"I still want to see it."

Dave took Alex's hand and reluctantly led him down the hall.

Alex saw that the room was decorated in fairly ordinary, neutral colours. There were a couple of posters of football teams on the walls, and one of a scantily clad woman posed on the hood of a car. Alex felt Dave tense beside him when his eyes landed on that one.

"When I was like fourteen I started to notice that all my friends had pictures like that on their walls," Dave felt the need to explain. "I couldn't figure out what was so great about them but I thought everyone would think I was weird if they came over to my house and saw I didn't have any."

Alex squeezed his hand, understanding. He moved to the desk where there were a few framed photos. One was a professional family portrait that must have been taken when Dave was twelve or thirteen. The others were both of Dave with the football team.

The first looked like a yearbook photo, all the players arranged in rows. The second was much less ordered; everyone crammed in, trying to fit in the frame of the picture, dressed in ragged clothes and zombie make-up. Dave was easy to pick out as he was the only one not wearing make-up. In this photo, unlike the others, his smile was obviously genuine.

"See, I knew there had to be a bit of the real you in here somewhere." Alex held the photo out to Dave.

"That was just after we won the championship game last year."

"That was when you had to join the glee club for a week, right?"

"Yeah. It was a lot of fun in the end." There was a small, nostalgic smile on his face.

"Maybe you should think about joining them next year."

"They probably wouldn't want me around after the way I treated them." Dave put the photo back in its place.

They made their way over to the bed and spent the next couple of hours alternating between talking and exchanging soft kisses. Gradually their kisses became more passionate. Dave wrapped his arms around Alex's waist and pulled him closer. Their bodies were completely pressed against each other but it still didn't seem like enough. Dave's jeans were starting to become uncomfortably tight and he could feel that Alex was equally aroused. Alex's hands slid under the hem of Dave's shirt, exploring the skin underneath. Dave gasped and pulled away.

"Sorry, was I moving too fast?"

"No, not at all, that was amazing. It's just that my mom's probably going to be home soon and I think it might be best if you leave before then."

"Right, of course. Sorry, I guess we probably shouldn't have let that get so heated."

"Don't ever apologise for kissing me." Dave's thumb stroked Alex's cheekbone. "I should be the one apologising for being too much of a coward to introduce you to my mom."

"It's ok, I understand. I should probably get going." Alex climbed off the bed and held out a hand to Dave.

They had just made it out to the hallway when they heard the front door open. Dave abruptly let go of Alex's hand.

"Anybody home?" Mrs Karofsky called out as she entered. "Oh, hello. I'm Harriet, Dave's mother."

"I'm Alex, a friend from work. I was just on my way out; I've got a dance rehearsal to get to." Dave prayed to any god that was listening that his mother wouldn't connect Alex's name to the conversation they'd had a few weeks before. If she did, it didn't show on her face.

"Alright then, it was nice meeting you."

Dave watched Alex leave, hating that he wasn't able to kiss him goodbye.

* * *

><p>They still watched Doctor Who at Alex's house every week though they were starting to spend more time making out than actually watching the DVDs. That was why, the following Friday, Dave found himself still on Alex's couch long after he should have left. To be fair, it was kind of difficult to keep track of time when his boyfriend was straddling his lap, his lips marking a trail of kisses along the line of Dave's jaw before travelling down to explore his neck. Dave had just pulled Alex's lips up to meet his own again when he heard a very unwelcome sound.<p>

"Was that a car?" They both distinctly heard the noise of a car door slamming.

Alex glanced at the clock. "It'll be my mom." He quickly climbed off Dave, pulling the quilt from the back of the couch over their laps, and snuggling into his boyfriend's side as if he'd been there all night. He pressed play on the DVD, which they'd paused halfway through an episode, just as the front door opened.

"Oh, hi there," Alex's mother greeted them brightly. It was easy to see where Alex got his boundless energy from. "You must be Dave. Alex has hardly stopped talking about you lately." Alex blushed a little and glared at her.

"It's nice to meet you Ms Harper."

"Please, call me Julia. It's lovely to meet you too, but shouldn't you be getting home soon?"

"He's leaving as soon as we finish this episode," Alex supplied.

"Well I suppose I'll have to trust you on that because I'm too tired to stay up and keep you honest. Goodnight boys."

"Well that wasn't as embarrassing as it could have been," Alex commented after his mother had left the room." When Dave didn't respond, Alex looked up and saw that his expression looked wistful and a little sad. "Are you ok?"

"I just wish I could introduce you to my parents that easily."

Alex kissed his boyfriend's cheek. "You'll be able to someday."

"I should be better than this." Dave pulled away and rested his head on his clenched fists. "You deserve someone better."

"Well that's too bad because I only want you." Alex wanted to put his arm around Dave but sensed that wouldn't be welcome right now.

"I'm a coward. We haven't even been on a real date because I'm too fucking scared."

"Dave, look at me." Alex's hand reached up to cup Dave's face and turn it towards him. "It's ok. I understand why you're not ready to risk people finding out about us yet. And I like our dates. I get you all to myself this way."

"I'm going to find some way to make this up to you."

"You don't have to make anything up to me."

"But I will."


	6. Chapter 5

One week later, Dave arrived at Alex's house at the usual time, but instead of going inside, he waited for Alex to join him in the car.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going yet?" Alex asked after greeting him with a kiss.

"Nope. I told you, it's a surprise."

Alex stared out the window, trying to get a clue from the direction they were travelling, but he soon found himself in completely unfamiliar surroundings.

They ended up on a dirt track that took them through a wooded area. When they reached the end of the track Dave parked the car and got out. He pulled a picnic basket and folded blanket out of the back seat and led Alex through a gap in the trees that opened up into a small clearing.

"Where are we?" Alex asked as Dave spread the blanket over the grass.

Dave's eyes slowly scanned their surroundings. "After I…" he began softly. "After I kissed Kurt, I was completely freaking out and I just got in my car and drove. This is where I ended up. It was exactly what I needed right then; somewhere quiet and empty where I could be alone and try to process all the chaos that was screaming inside my head. After that I started coming here whenever I needed to think, or just get away from it all."

Alex pulled Dave into a breathtaking kiss. "Thankyou for sharing this with me."

* * *

><p>After sharing the food Dave had brought, they lay on the blanket, staring up at the stars. Alex was resting with his head on Dave's chest, feeling the gentle rise and fall of his breathing. "I used to look up at the stars and dream that a man in a blue box would come to take me away from here. Or that I'd get a letter from Hogwarts or find a way into Narnia. I always wanted to be anywhere but where I was."<p>

"What about now?"

Alex smiled up at Dave. "Well right at this moment I can honestly say that there isn't a single place in the world I'd rather be. And you're the only guy I can imagine running away with."

Dave kissed the top of Alex's head. "As soon as we finish school we'll be able to get out of here. We'll go somewhere where we can just be together and not have to worry about what anyone thinks." He sighed sadly. "Somewhere I can be brave enough to tell everyone you're my boyfriend."

Alex propped himself up on his elbow so he could look Dave in the eye. "I don't need for everyone to know we're together, you know. I just need for us to be together."

"I know." Dave reached a hand up to Alex's face, his thumb stroking his boyfriend's cheekbone. "I'm going to tell my parents though. Soon. I just need to figure out how." He sighed. "I don't suppose you've got any advice for me."

"I wish I knew how to help you but I never really had to come out to my mom. She just kind of always knew. Apparently when I was six I went around telling everyone who'd listen that I wanted to marry the prince from Beauty and the Beast."

Dave chuckled. "I could see you as Belle. You read a lot and you're beautiful."

Alex blushed and kissed Dave softly before lying down beside him again. "Maybe you could ask Kurt. He did say you could call him if you ever want to talk about anything. His boyfriend might be able to help too."

"I'll think about it." Dave was clearly uncomfortable with the idea. "Right now though, I don't want to think about anyone except you."

Alex noticed Dave's abrupt change of subject but decided to let it slide. He smiled playfully. "Well I can't help but noticed we're completely alone, with no chance of any parents walking in on us for once. I suggest we take advantage of that."

Dave grinned back. "And what exactly did you have in mind?"

"Something like this." He pulled Dave towards him, kissing him passionately but slowly. For once they weren't short on time. Their lips and tongues moved together seamlessly as they pressed their bodies against each other. Dave's hands slid over Alex's shoulders and down his back, trying to memorise every contour. This time, when Alex's hands found their way underneath his shirt, he had no reason to pull away. They felt impossibly hot against his bare skin.

Dave rolled onto his back, pulling Alex on top of him. They both gasped as the movement caused their erections to brush together. Needing to feel that again, Dave pulled Alex's hips down towards his own. They began to move against each other, smothering their groans with desperate kisses. Dave wasn't sure which one of them came undone first, or whether they managed to lose control simultaneously, he just knew that it was the most incredible thing he had ever experienced.

* * *

><p>When Dave arrived home, lying to his parents about where he'd been hurt a lot more than usual. He'd just had one of the best nights of his life so far, and he couldn't tell his family anything about it. He spent most of Saturday trying to figure out a solution that didn't involve calling Kurt, but ultimately failed. One awkward phone call later, they agreed that the four of them would meet at a coffee shop in Westerville after Dave and Alex finished work on Sunday.<p>

Dave shifted nervously in his seat as he and Alex waited for Kurt and Blaine to arrive. This was going to be hell. He couldn't even look at Kurt without being assailed by guilt. The last thing he wanted was to have to ask his former victim for help. And Blaine… well, he obviously made Kurt happy, and Dave was glad for that, but he certainly hadn't made a good impression on Dave by confronting him right after he kissed Kurt sounding like a self-help book.

Alex's hand squeezed Dave's knee reassuringly. "It's going to be fine."

Dave tried to believe him.

Kurt and Blaine arrived soon afterwards and sat down on the opposite side of the table. Dave stayed silent as Alex introduced himself to them.

Kurt studied the two boys in front of him with interest, noting how close together they were sitting, and how they kept glancing at each other; Dave looking for reassurance, Alex looking to make sure Dave was ok. "So you two are…"

Dave looked around to make sure that no one else was in earshot. They'd been careful to choose a particularly secluded corner of the café. "We're… together, yeah." He found himself smiling a little despite his discomfort.

Kurt smiled back. "I'm glad you found someone." Dave wasn't really sure how to respond to that.

"Kurt said you're thinking about coming out to your parents?" Blaine sounded sympathetic but his eyes were still a little wary. Clearly he didn't quite trust Dave yet but he was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Dave nodded, his eyes focused on the table in front of him. "I'm sick of lying to them, especially now I have Alex, but… I just have no idea how they're going to react. The only time I've ever even heard one of my parents mention the word 'gay' was during that meeting in the principal's office. My dad didn't sound like he was bothered by it or anything, but he might see things differently when it's his own kid. And my mom has this friend who's always going on about how being gay is an affront to God, and I've never heard her disagree."

"Well I suppose you never know how their going to react until you actually tell them," Kurt said. "I know I was completely terrified the night I came out to my dad. He's pretty much the complete opposite of me in every way and I was so scared he wouldn't understand. But he just told me that he'd known since I was three and that he loved me no matter what."

Dave was staring at him incredulously. "I just… It's so hard to imagine you not being confident in who you are, or there being any chance of your dad not supporting you. How exactly did you tell him?"

"I waited until after that football game I played in. I thought it was best to do it at a time when I knew he was in a good mood. I told him that glee and football had taught me that I can be anything, and that what I am is gay."

Dave nodded thoughtfully, trying to figure out if Kurt's story could help him at all. Alex slipped his hand into Dave's. "From what you've told me, your parents are probably going to be relieved to have an explanation for the way you acted last year. Maybe if you explain that this is why you were struggling so much they'll be a little more willing to understand."

"I suppose." Dave sighed. "There's no easy way to do this, is there."

"Not really," Blaine said, at the same time Kurt said "Unfortunately not." Under the table, Alex squeezed Dave's hand.

"From my experience," Blaine continued, "I'd say it's important that you try to make sure they understand that you're still the same person you've always been. Though in your case, I guess that's not completely true because you're not as confused as you used to be."

"How do I do that?"

Blaine shrugged apologetically. "Let me know if you figure it out. My dad still looks at me like I'm some alien in his son's body."

Kurt wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders. Dave looked down at the table again, ashamed that he didn't have the courage to show affection to Alex like that in public, and a little disconcerted by seeing perfect, put-together Blaine showing vulnerability.

* * *

><p>Kurt wished Dave good luck as they left the café. "Not that I think you'll need it. I'm sure it will go fine." Dave nodded, wishing he had a little of Kurt's confidence. "Are you sure you're ready to do this?"<p>

"I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be. At least once its over I won't have to worry about it any more."

"Let me know how it goes, ok?"

Dave nodded, and Kurt went over to take the hand of his boyfriend, who was chatting amiably with Alex. The blonde boy moved towards Dave, wanting to do the same, but knowing he couldn't while they were in public. Instead he brushed his shoulder against Dave's in a way that would appear accidental to anyone watching them, but conveyed everything he wanted the other boy to know.

_You're not alone. It's going to be ok._

They said their goodbyes to Kurt and Blaine and walked back to the mall parking lot in companionable silence. When they reached their cars Alex made sure no one was around before pulling Dave into a tight hug.

"You call me as soon as you can afterwards, ok?" He felt his boyfriend nod. "It's going to be fine, and even if it's not you're always welcome at my place. I seriously doubt that's going to be necessary though."

Dave kissed the top of Alex's head before pulling away a little so he could look him in the eye. "Thankyou. For… for everything. For being here, for putting up with me, for never pressuring me to come out–"

"– Dave, you don't have to thank me for any of that. I'm your boyfriend, it comes with the territory."

"I just want you to know I appreciate it." He sighed. "I'd better get going."

"I'll talk to you tonight."

Reluctantly they let go of each other and got into their respective cars. As Dave drove away he wished he'd asked his boyfriend to come with him. He felt a lot braver with Alex by his side.


	7. Chapter 6

Dinner seemed like the obvious time to talk to his parents, but by the time they'd finished eating he still hadn't been able to make himself say anything. His father had just started to collect the plates to wash up when Dave finally found his voice.

"Wait, I… There's something I need to talk to you both about." His voice was barely louder than a whisper.

His father sat back down. "Go ahead, son."

Dave stared at the empty plate in front of him, afraid of seeing his parents' reactions. "I… I want you to know that I'm really sorry for everything that happened at school last year. I know how much it upset you and I'm ready to try and explain it now. I know there's no excuse for the things I did but I want to tell you what was going through my head. I was scared because…" He took a deep breath. "I was really confused about the way I was feeling. I… I had feelings for Kurt that I didn't want to have and that made me angry and that's why I lashed out at him." His voice cracked a little as he fought against the tears that were starting to form in his eyes. "But I realise now that I… that I'm gay and there's nothing I can do to change that." Somehow Dave found the courage to look up at his parents. He saw that there were tears in his mother's eyes.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry you had to go through that alone."

Dave looked at his mother in confusion.

"You… you don't seem surprised."

She gave him a sympathetic smile. "The idea had crossed my mind. There was just something about the way you looked at that boy, Alex. I got the impression he means a lot to you. I realised it would explain why you've seemed so much happier lately. And I remembered that you told me you were going on a date with someone named Alex from work and in hindsight you never actually said that that Alex was a girl. I didn't say anything because I wasn't sure, and I thought that if it was true it would probably be better if I let you tell me in your own time." She reached across the table to squeeze his hand. "Is Alex your boyfriend?" Dave nodded. "Well in that case I think it's time your father and I met him properly. Why don't you invite him over for dinner sometime next week?"

Dave suddenly realised that Paul Karofsky had been very quiet since his son's revelation.

"Dad, you… you haven't said anything."

The expression on his father's face was unreadable. "Honestly, David, this is the last thing I ever expected to hear from you and I'm going to need time to adjust to the idea. It's my problem, not yours. I don't want you to worry about it. You're my son and I will always love you, no matter what. I'd be happy to meet your… your boyfriend." He looked as if he couldn't quite believe he was saying that last word but he didn't seem particularly uncomfortable with it.

Dave was suddenly hit by the realisation that he'd come out to his parents and they'd both accepted him. None of the nightmares that had been plaguing him for months now, of them staring at him with disgust and hatred and throwing him out the door, were going to come true. The tears that had started to form earlier returned and this time he couldn't stop them from falling. He instantly found himself enveloped in his mother's embrace.

"It's ok, baby, everything's ok."

It was a few minutes before Dave managed to regain control of his emotions and pulled away from his mother.

"Is it ok if I go and call Alex now?" He asked hoarsely.

"Of course." His mother kissed the top of his head. "Remember to ask him when he's free to come over for dinner. Saturday would be good."

"Sure."

* * *

><p>Dave practically ran to his room to call Alex, who answered a split second after the phone started ringing.<p>

"How did it go? Are you ok? Did –?"

"– It went really well. Better than I could have imagined."

"That's great! What did they say?"

"Well, my dad's still kind of in shock but he's not upset about it. And my mom kind of already knew. She says she wants to meet you properly. She told me to ask if you're free to come over for dinner on Saturday." Dave felt lighter than he had in years and his relief was obvious in his voice.

"That's amazing, Dave. I'm so happy for you. I'll just go ask my mom about Saturday." Dave heard the muffled sounds of Alex's and his mother's voices in the background. "I'll be there," Alex confirmed when he returned. "Unfortunately I have to go now; Mom wants me to do the dishes."

"Oh. I guess I'll see you at work tomorrow then."

"Is it ridiculous that I miss you already?"

"If it is, we're both ridiculous."

As Dave hung up the phone his eyes fell on the poster of the barely dressed woman on his bedroom wall. He took great satisfaction in ripping it down and tearing it to pieces, throwing the scraps into the wastepaper basket near his desk.

"I can't say I'm sorry to see that go." His mother's voice came from the doorway.

"Me either. Alex said he's happy to come to dinner on Saturday."

"That'll be lovely." She smiled encouragingly. "Have you two been together since that date you told me about?" Dave nodded. His mother studied him pensively. "So you've had a boyfriend for more than a month and you didn't feel you could tell me or your father about it?" She sounded a little disappointed.

Dave sat down on the bed, staring at his hands which were clasped on his lap. "I… I just had no idea if you'd be ok with it or not. There are so many people in this town who think being gay is disgusting, or wrong, or weak. It's probably the most common word used to insult people at school. I've heard Mrs Pearson going on about how it's unnatural and sinful and you never seemed to disagree with her. I was so scared of what you might think of me."

His mother sat beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Look at me, David." Dave complied. "You are my son. I will always love you for exactly who you are. Nothing can ever change that."

Dave turned away, not wanting his mother to see that he was fighting back tears again. She was rubbing sooting circles on his back, just like she used to when he had nightmares as a kid.

"Does anyone else know, other than Alex?"

"Kurt does. I… I kissed him once. I pushed him into a locker and he came after me. He was yelling right in my face and I just sort of lost control. That's why I said I'd kill him. I never meant it. I was just so terrified he'd tell someone. He did tell his boyfriend, but other than that he kept my secret. I still don't understand why. I made his life a living hell and he had the power to do the same thing to me but he didn't." Dave ran a hand over his face. "Santana figured it out too. That's why we were dating. She needed a prom king candidate, I needed a beard. It worked pretty well for both of us until everyone decided to play that stupid joke on Kurt."

"I always thought it was strange that you were dating her. You barely even seemed to like each other. I was worried you were being shallow."

Dave laughed humourlessly. "A couple of months ago I would have wished that was true."

"But not anymore?"

He shook his head. "I wouldn't give up Alex for anything."

"He must be pretty special."

"He is," Dave said with a fond smile, blushing a little.

"I'd better let you get some rest. You've got work tomorrow." Harriet kissed her son's forehead before she left the room.

Dave was physically and emotionally exhausted, but he had one last thing to do. He went to his desk to turn on his computer.

Fifteen minutes later he was carefully placing a photo on his wall in the empty space left by the shredded poster. He'd taken it with his phone a little over three weeks ago. Alex had been exhausted that Friday after spending the afternoon rehearsing a dance with some of his friends but he'd been determined not to miss their date. He'd ended up falling asleep with his head in Dave's lap. He looked so peaceful and beautiful Dave hadn't been able to resist preserving the moment. It was the only photo of Alex he had so far. He'd take more though, lots more. Dave made sure that photo was the last thing he looked at before he closed his eyes and drifted into sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm posting this chapter earlier than normal because I'm going to be away for most of the weekend. I won't be able to post the next chapter until sometime tomorrow night.**


	8. Chapter 7

Dave spent the next week feeling like a weight he'd never realised he'd been carrying had been lifted off his shoulders. On Monday, he surprised Alex by greeting him with a hug when they arrived at work. It wasn't as intimate as their hugs normally were, no one who saw them would suspect them of being anything more than close friends, but it was more than Dave had ever had the courage to do in such a public place. He even found himself suggesting that they go to a movie on Friday, instead of spending the evening at Alex's house.

They chose one of the less popular cinemas in Westerville, where there was almost no chance of them running into someone who might recognise Dave, and found seats in a relatively empty section of the theatre. Dave waited until the lights were completely down before quietly slipping his hand into Alex's.

After the movie, Dave drove Alex home. As soon as Dave turned off the ignition he found Alex's lips pressed against his own. He gladly deepened the kiss, which was tender and passionate and _perfect_. For a moment, the rest of the world seemed to disappear. As far as Dave was concerned there was only Alex.

"You don't have to leave yet, right?" Alex said breathlessly when the need for oxygen finally forced them apart. They'd chosen an early movie session so it wasn't particularly late yet.

Dave smiled. "I think I can stay for a while."

Alex's lips crashed against Dave's again and he moved to climb onto his boyfriend's lap. As he did so, he accidentally pressed against the horn, startling them both.

Dave laughed. "Maybe we should continue this inside."

"Good idea." Alex quickly led Dave into the house, making a beeline for his bedroom. He collapsed onto the bed, pulling his boyfriend down with him and attacking his lips with fierce kisses. Their shirts soon ended up on the floor and Dave's lips and hands began to explore the newly exposed skin of Alex's chest.

After a few minutes, Dave felt Alex shift awkwardly underneath him. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, it's just…" Alex blushed a little. "Well, these jeans were pretty tight to begin with, so… now they're getting really uncomfortable."

Dave's hand slowly moved to the button of Alex's jeans, his eyes asking for permission, which Alex gladly granted. As Dave carefully undid the fly, his fingers accidentally brushed his boyfriend's erection, causing Alex to gasp and reflexively buck up towards Dave's hand. Cautiously, Dave began to stroke Alex through his boxers, searching his boyfriend's face to make sure he wasn't doing more than Alex was comfortable with.

Alex groaned and eagerly pressed up against Dave's hand, searching for more friction. Suddenly, Dave's hand disappeared, and Alex found himself letting out an involuntary whimper. When he became capable of coherent thought again, he realised that his boyfriend's fingers were hovering above the waistband of his boxers.

"Can I…?"

Alex nodded vigorously. "Please."

Dave slipped his hand inside Alex's boxers and wrapped it firmly around his boyfriend's erection. He didn't really know what he was doing, but judging by the sounds Alex was making, he couldn't have been doing too badly. As he watched his boyfriend writhing on the bed beneath him, fingers clutching at the sheets, Dave's own arousal was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. It wasn't long before Alex exploded into Dave's hand, moaning his boyfriend's name.

When Alex came back to his senses, he opened his eyes to see that Dave was palming himself through his jeans.

"Hey, that's my job." Alex swatted Dave's hand away.

He pulled Dave down into a searing kiss and fumbled with his boyfriend's fly, wasting no time in slipping his hand inside. Dave was already close and the sensation of his Alex's hand moving against his bare skin sent him over the edge embarrassingly fast.

Alex grabbed a handful of tissues from his bedside table and passed the box to Dave. Once they'd done the best they could to clean up the mess on their hands and in their pants they cuddled up together on the bed.

"That was… _wow_."

Alex laughed and pressed a soft kiss to Dave's neck. "Yeah, it was."

Dave would have been happy to stay like that forever but his damp boxers were quickly becoming uncomfortable.

"I have to go," he said mournfully after a while.

Alex sighed. "I know."

They walked outside hand in hand. When they reached Dave's car Alex pulled him into a slow, sweet kiss. "I love you," he whispered against Dave's lips.

Dave's eyes told Alex everything he needed to know before he actually said the words.

"I love you too."

* * *

><p>The following night, Dave was completely unable to sit still. Alex would be arriving soon and he was torn between wanting to see his boyfriend and worrying about whether his parents would like his boyfriend. His erratic pacing was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself and went to answer the door.<p>

It was completely unfair that Alex could take his breath away just by standing there looking amazing. The fact that he was dressed up for the dinner didn't help. The only consolation was that Alex seemed to be just as affected by Dave's presence.

After checking that his parents hadn't followed him into the hallway he leaned forward to greet Alex with a soft kiss before taking his hand and leading him to the dining room.

Dave's mother was there, setting the table. She smiled brightly when the two boys entered the room.

"Alex, it's lovely to finally meet you properly."

"You too, Mrs Karofsky. Do you want any help?"

"Call me Harriet, dear. And thankyou for offering but I'm just about finished. Why don't we sit down? Paul will bring dinner out soon."

Just as she spoke, Dave's father entered the room carrying a roast.

"David, can you get the vegetables?"

"Sure, Dad."

Dave was a little uncertain about leaving his boyfriend alone with his parents but he was pretty sure Alex could handle it. When he returned he found his father and his boyfriend cordially shaking hands.

On the whole, the night ran smoothly. Dave's mother had pretty much already decided she loved anyone who made her son smile like that and Alex could charm anyone.

Paul watched his son's interactions with the other boy curiously. He wasn't sure exactly what he'd expected from his from son's boyfriend. Someone who seemed a little more, well, _gay_, he supposed; like Burt Hummel's kid. But Alex seemed like a fairly ordinary teenage boy.

He appeared to be respectful and intelligent. If Paul had a daughter he'd be content to see her dating such a boy, so he supposed the same should go for his son. He still found it strange to think that his son was in love with another boy but it was obvious from the way Dave looked at Alex that it was true.

The most important thing, he thought to himself as he watched Dave walk Alex out to his car, was that his son was happy, and this boy was the one who was making him happy.

"David, can we talk for a minute?" he asked when his son returned.

"Sure."

"You and Alex… you seem fairly serious about each other."

"I love him," Dave confirmed.

"Well I'm glad you're happy. Especially when I know you've been unhappy for a long time." He sighed. They were going to have to have this talk sooner or later; they may as well get it over with. "How, um, how far have you gone… physically?"

Dave stared at his father in horror. "Please tell me we're not having this conversation."

"Trust me; this is as uncomfortable for me as it is for you."

Dave shifted awkwardly. "Well we haven't gone all the way yet if that's what you're asking." His body was turned towards the door, ready to escape as soon as he could.

"But you've gone… some of the way?"

Reluctantly, Dave nodded.

"How far?"

"Are you really going to make me say it?" He stared at his father pleadingly.

"Yes."

"We've… we've been, you know, touching each other and stuff," Dave mumbled. He hadn't realised it was physically possible to blush this much.

Paul took a moment to process that particular piece of information. "Well… just don't do anything you're not both ready for, ok?"

"We won't. Neither of us wants to rush into anything too fast."

"And just because neither of you can get pregnant doesn't mean you don't need to use protection."

"Can I please go now?" Dave implored.

"Alright, you can go."

Dave left the room as fast as he possibly could.


	9. Chapter 8

"Are you busy this afternoon?" Alex asked Dave at work on Sunday a week later.

"Not really. And spending it with you would be infinitely better than anything I might have had planned."

"Well my friends have been wanting to meet you ever since I told them I had a boyfriend and I'm going to meet up with them for lunch after work, so I was hoping you might like to come too."

Dave took a moment to consider the idea. He still wasn't entirely comfortable with going out in public with Alex, or with the idea of more people knowing about him, but the only people he knew that he was likely to run into in Westerville were Kurt and Blaine, and he had to assume Alex's friends could be trusted to respect his secret.

"I'd love to."

Alex grinned and surreptitiously squeezed Dave's hand behind the counter.

* * *

><p>When they entered the diner where they had agreed to meet, Dave had no trouble spotting the three teenagers who must have been Alex's friends, since they were staring at him with expressions that were a mixture of curiosity and <em>you-hurt-my-boy-I'll-kill-you<em>. He quickly gathered that the petite girl with the dark brown pixie cut was named Zoe; the cute red-headed guy who was watching her with obvious longing was Kyle; and the tall, spiky-haired guy who attempted to flirt with any attractive person, male or female, who walked too close to their table called himself Dylan.

"Well it's about time we finally got to meet you," Zoe said after Alex introduced Dave to the three of them.

"Yeah," Kyle agreed. "We were starting to think Alex made you up."

Dylan was scrutinising Dave's face thoughtfully. "Alex is right," he said eventually. "His eyes do look like pools of perfect, warm, sweet hot chocolate."

Alex threw a balled-up napkin at him.

Though Dave was thoroughly interrogated by the three of them, they received him into the group easily. It felt good to be able to hang out with people who accepted him as Alex's boyfriend as comfortably as they would have accepted any straight couple. A few months ago, Dave wouldn't have believed such a thing was possible.

After they finished eating, Dave noticed that Alex had a bit of sauce in the corner of his mouth. Without thinking, Dave grabbed a napkin and wiped it away.

Dylan smirked. "You know your secret relationship's not going to stay secret for long if you keep doing stuff like that, right?"

Dave glanced around nervously, praying none of the people at the other tables had noticed.

"It's fine," Zoe reassured him. "No one's paying any attention to us. And what does it matter what a room full of strangers thinks anyway?"

Dave nodded but still looked uncomfortable.

"Well it's probably about time we moved on anyway," Alex suggested. He turned to Dave. "We were planning on going to go over to Zoe's place to practise a dance we've been working on. You can come and watch if you want."

"Yeah, ok." Dave gratefully accepted the opportunity to escape.

* * *

><p>As soon as they were safely inside Zoe's house, Dave wrapped an arm around Alex's shoulders to make up for the distance he'd kept between them at the diner. His boyfriend happily leaned into the embrace.<p>

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Try not to be too nauseatingly couple-y, will you?" he teased.

"You're just jealous because you haven't had the balls to ask Zoe out yet," Alex countered after making sure the girl in question was safely out of earshot.

They went down to the basement where there was plenty of open floor space and a sophisticated looking sound system. Alex led Dave to a couch that was against one wall.

"Let us know what you think, it'd be cool to have an outside opinion."

Dave had honestly intended to watch the dance as a whole but he quickly found himself utterly captivated by Alex. His movements were fluid and graceful but powerful at the same time. More than once, Dave found himself enjoying his boyfriend's performance a little too much. Fortunately the memory of the conversation his father had forced on him the previous week was a very effective boner killer.

They ran through the dance a number of times, occasionally changing or replacing certain moves. After a while, Alex pulled Dave up from the couch.

"Now it's your turn."

Dave looked at Alex questioningly.

"Come on, you're not going to get out of this after you told me how much you liked dancing in that half time show thing."

Dave allowed Alex to lead him onto the makeshift dance floor and walk him through the choreography. Alex used his hands to guide his boyfriend's movements considerably more often than was strictly necessary, much to the amusement of their three spectators.

"Not bad," Alex commented when they finished. "You could use some practice, but you're good."

Dave blushed at the compliment. "Well you're a good teacher."

They were unconsciously moving towards each other, their faces so close that their noses were almost touching.

"So should we leave you two alone or…?"

Dave turned to see Zoe slapping the back of Dylan's head.

"You know what, I think Dave and I might head off now," Alex said. He turned to his boyfriend. "As long as that's ok with you."

Dave nodded, allowing Alex to take his hand and lead him out of the house.

* * *

><p>They went back to Alex's house to spend the remainder of the afternoon together.<p>

"If you don't mind, I'm just going to take a quick shower," Alex said as they walked in the door. "I'm all sweaty from dancing."

"Yeah, I guess I probably need one too."

Alex looked thoughtful for a second. "Well… we could, um, shower together…" he suggested shyly.

"Seriously?" Dave tried not to show just how turned on he was by that idea.

"We don't have to," Alex said quickly. "But we could… if you want to."

"I definitely want to," Dave replied, his mouth dry.

"Ok then." Alex was blushing a little but his eyes sparkled with lust. He took Dave's hand and led him to the bathroom.

They wasted no time in stripping down to their boxers. Alex pulled Dave close, capturing his boyfriend's face between his hands.

"Are you sure you're ok with this?" he asked.

"I'm sure. Are you?"

"Yeah. I love you."

Dave kissed him tenderly but with an undercurrent of desire that sent blood rushing to Alex's groin.

"I love you too."

"Ready?" Alex asked, slipping his fingertips under the waistband of Dave's boxers.

Dave nodded, and they carefully removed each other's last article of clothing.

They took a moment to drink in the sight of each other's bodies.

"You're perfect," Dave whispered reverently.

"So are you." Alex pressed his smiling lips against his boyfriend's. As they moved closer, the contact of their naked bodies made them both groan.

Before they let themselves get too carried away, Alex went to turn on the shower and Dave wrapped his arms around him from behind, pressing tender kisses to his neck and shoulders. Once Alex had adjusted the temperature of the water, he turned in the embrace and pulled Dave under the spray with him.

Alex initially began to wash Dave's body teasingly but soon gave in to the temptation to wrap his soap-slicked hand around his boyfriend's erection. Dave moaned and mirrored the action. Their lips crashed together passionately, conveying more than words ever could.

It wasn't long before Dave felt his orgasm approaching. One final twist of his boyfriend's hand sent him over the edge, Alex following almost immediately afterwards.

* * *

><p>Once they were clean and dry they lay curled up together on Alex's bed, simply revelling in each other's closeness.<p>

"Thanks for today," Dave said after a while.

Alex smirked and raised his eyebrows.

Dave laughed. "I didn't just mean _that_. I really liked hanging out with your friends. When I was starting to realise that I was gay," he continued more seriously, "one of the things that scared me the most was the thought that if I couldn't fight it or hide it I'd end up being an outcast for the rest of my life. Today was the first time I've really been able to spend time with people who genuinely don't care. It kind of surprised me how normal it felt because I thought I'd never be able to feel normal again."

"You do realise now that there's nothing abnormal about being gay, right? Anyone who says there is isn't worth your time."

"I know. It doesn't seem to get to me as much now when I hear people say that it's wrong. I guess it's because I know nothing in my life has ever felt more right than being in love with you."

* * *

><p>Dave arrived home just before dinner time. He found his mother sitting in the living room reading a book.<p>

"Did you have a good day?" she asked, noticing the contented smile on his face.

"It was awesome. After work, Alex and I hung out with some of his friends. They showed me a dance they've been working on. He's a really amazing dancer."

"I'm glad you had fun."

"What about you, how was Bible study?"

She smiled wryly. "Well I think it's safe to say I won't be welcome back there again."

"Why, what happened?"

"Oh, Caroline Pearson went on one of her ridiculous 'sanctity of marriage' rants again. I used to just ignore her because I know she's too set in her ways for arguing to do any good, but I couldn't just sit there when I knew that every hateful word coming out of her small-minded, ignorant mouth applied to you. I started off trying to draw her into a rational discussion but in the end I just got so frustrated that I called her a worthless, bigoted pile of excrement and stormed out."

Dave had to laugh at that. "I wish I could have seen her face when you said that. I'm sorry you got kicked out of Bible study though."

"I'm not. I think I was the only person there interested in actually studying the Bible. Most of the others in the group just use it as an excuse for them to have a weekly gossip session. Though I have had three separate people call me tonight to tell me they've wanted to say something similar to that sorry excuse for a woman for years."

Dave hugged his mother tightly. "Thankyou."

"Don't thank me yet. I may have said something I shouldn't have while I was arguing with her. I told her that I'd be happy to see my son marry whoever he falls in love with and that I don't care if that person is male. I'm sure everyone will probably assume I was speaking hypothetically, but you should know that there's a chance…"

Dave took a moment to consider the implications of his mother's words.

"It's ok," he concluded. "It doesn't matter what they think."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: After I wrote this chapter I started wondering about the random OCs I created for it and wrote a little summary of how they became friends with Alex. If you're interested, you can find it, along with a short oneshot about them all helping Alex get ready for his first date with Dave, in a fic called 'Detours' which can be found on my profile.**


	10. Chapter 9

"Why did I agree to this again?" Dave asked his boyfriend as they pulled into a parking space near a Westerville restaurant.

"Because you love me," Alex reminded him. "And because it's going to be fun."

It was the final Friday of the holidays and Alex had somehow managed to convince Dave to go on a double date with Kurt and Blaine. Apparently Alex and Blaine had exchanged phone numbers when the four of them met to help Dave figure out how to talk to his parents, and had quickly bonded over their mutual geekiness and vertically challengedness. Dave was nervous, as it would be difficult to explain if anyone from Lima saw the four of them having dinner together, but he'd agreed to come because the chance that any other Lima losers would pick that particular night to eat at an upmarket Westerville restaurant was ridiculously slim, and because his boyfriend was too damn adorable to say no to.

"If you say so." Dave followed Alex inside.

Kurt and Blaine were already seated in the restaurant. Dave was grateful to see that they'd chosen a table in a relatively quiet corner.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" Blaine greeted them brightly.

"Not bad," Dave replied. "Really not looking forward to having to go back to school though."

"Me either," Alex agreed. "It's going to be awful only being able to see you on weekends." He turned to the other couple. "I guess you two would know all about that."

"It's horrible," Kurt sympathised, "especially when you've gotten used to seeing each other everyday. It's not going to be a problem for us this year, though. Blaine's transferring to McKinley." Kurt looked positively elated at the prospect.

"Dalton was great while I needed a safe haven," Blaine explained, "but life doesn't have a no-bullying policy and I need to get used to that. At least at McKinley I won't have to deal with it alone." His eyes moved to his boyfriend, an expression of complete and utter adoration on his face.

"Well I'll be watching out for both of you," Dave said. "Just because Santana disbanded the Bully Whips doesn't mean I can't keep protecting people."

"You don't have to," Kurt assured him. "I can't imagine it would go over too well with your football friends especially now you can't pretend you're doing it to get in Santana's pants."

"Of course I have to," Dave replied seriously. "Look, I… I know I can never make up for everything I put you through, but I'm sure as hell going to try."

Kurt smiled. "Just promise me you're not going to wear that hideous beret."

"Does that mean I can still wear the jacket?" Dave teased, earning himself one of Kurt's patented 'bitch please' glares.

Dave laughed, and Kurt looked at him curiously.

"What?" Dave asked.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile before. Not a genuine smile at least."

Dave shrugged. "I guess I've got a lot to smile about at the moment." His eyes flickered over to his boyfriend who had engaged Blaine in a very in-depth conversation about Harry Potter.

"Grindelwald was never in love with Dumbledore," Alex was saying. "He knew about Dumbledore's feelings and he used them against him. That sure doesn't scream 'love' to me."

"Yeah, but he refused to tell Voldemort where the elder wand was because he didn't want him to disturb Dumbledore's grave. That shows he did care about him."

"Sweetie, I think that's just your crush on Jamie Campbell Bower talking," Kurt chimed in.

"Oh! Speaking of Jamie Campbell Bower, have you read the Mortal Instruments books…"

Kurt laughed and turned back to Dave "How did the two of us end up with such geeks?"

"I don't know," Dave replied, watching his boyfriend with a fond smile. "Can't complain though."

"Me either."

* * *

><p>As much as Dave hated to admit it, Alex was right; the date was fun. After dinner, the two couples went their separate ways.<p>

"Can we just… not go home yet?" Dave asked Alex when as they got into the car. "We're not going to see each other nearly enough once school starts again, so I'd like to spend as much time with you as possible while we still can."

"Sure. What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know. Can we maybe find somewhere quiet where we can just be together?"

Alex smiled. "I think I know the perfect place."

* * *

><p>"Where are we?" Dave asked as he followed Alex's instruction to park the car. He knew they were fairly close to Alex's house, but he didn't recognise the street.<p>

Alex took his hand as they got out of the car and led Dave into a children's playground.

"I spent about half my childhood here," Alex explained. "I used to come here every day after school. According to my mom, I met Kyle for the first time here when we were three." They each sat on one of the swings.

"Wow, you've been friends with him for a long time then."

"He's practically my brother."

"I wish I had a friend like that. Azimio and I have kind of been friends since elementary school but I don't think I've ever let him see much of who I really am. I was always trying to impress him because I wanted him to think I was cool and then when everything went to hell I pulled away from him completely. I haven't even spoken to him all summer and I probably won't talk to him when we get back to school either because I hate lying to him but I can't tell him the truth."

Alex pulled his swing over so he could take Dave's hand. "Are you that sure he won't accept you?"

"Pretty sure, yeah." The corners of Dave's mouth twitched sadly. "I mean, we've spent all of high school terrorising anyone who seemed even the slightest bit gay. I can't imagine it will go over too well when he finds out about me."

"Interesting," Alex said thoughtfully.

"What is?"

"The fact that you said '_when_' he finds out about you, not 'if.' Two months ago you could barely even stand to say the word 'gay' and now you're talking about coming out as if it's an inevitability."

Dave took a moment to consider Alex's words. "I'm still pretty sure I don't want to come out while I'm in high school, but after that I don't think I'll be able to stand hiding anymore. Even now, pretending to be something I'm not five days a week doesn't sound all that much more appealing than being an outcast."

"You're amazing, you know that?"

"I'm really not."

"Yes you are. You may not see how far you've come in the last couple of months but I do."

Dave wasn't sure how to reply to that so he just kissed Alex softly and said "I love you." Because that kind of said it all.

* * *

><p>They lay on the grass beside the playground staring up at the night sky, much the way they had on their first date outside Alex's house.<p>

"Do you believe in God?" Dave asked after a while.

Alex shrugged. "I worship Steven Moffat and Neil Gaiman. I don't really have room for any other deities."

Dave laughed. "You are such a geek."

"You love me. Why the sudden interest in my religious beliefs?"

"Just thinking. I feel like I shouldn't believe in God because people are always using Christianity as an excuse to discriminate against people like us. But then there's my mom who genuinely believes that God loves everyone and that he made us exactly the way we are. And there's a part of me that just wants to believe that there's some meaning behind it all."

"Well there's no way of knowing who's right and who's wrong. I think we just all have to believe whatever feels right to us."

"So you don't think I'm stupid for wanting to believe in some mystical higher power?"

"Of course not. Whatever you want to believe is up to you. I'll love you just as much either way."

They kissed tenderly; far too absorbed in each other to notice they were being watched.

* * *

><p>The following morning, Dave was more than a little surprised to see he had an email from Chastity Pearson. The subject line of the email hit him with an icy shock that was eerily akin to being slushied.<p>

**I know your dirty little secret…**

She couldn't possibly know, could she? Maybe her mother had said something after the argument with Dave's mother. If that was the case it would still be easy to deny it; say that Mrs Pearson had misunderstood, his mother had been speaking hypothetically.

Dave took a deep breath and opened the email. His heart sank immediately. It was filled with pictures of him and Alex from the night before. Holding hands as they left the restaurant, kissing on the swing set, lying together on the grass. The photos were dark and grainy but they were more than enough to ruin Dave's reputation.

**My mother said that Harriet Karofsky had suddenly become a filthy fag-lover and that it had something to do with her son. I thought it might be in my interests to keep an eye on you. Looks like I was right.**

**You have two options. Either you agree to do whatever I ask of you or I do the students of McKinley a public service and show them how perverted you are.**

Dave wasn't sure how long he stared at his computer trying to figure out what he should do. He didn't know if he could cope with the whole school knowing about him. Even the few times he'd considered coming out before the end of senior year he'd planned on starting small, telling people who were more likely to understand, like the glee club, hopefully earning their trust so that when his secret did get out he wouldn't end up completely alone.

On the other hand, the idea being at the mercy of this girl was completely repulsive to him. He was sick of letting his fears hold him back as it was; this would just be too much.

He found himself imagining holding hands with Alex in public without having to look over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching. Going on dates where they wanted to instead of where they were unlikely to be seen.

He also imagined being slushied daily, assaulted with slurs every time he walked down the hall, becoming the victim of every act of bullying he'd ever performed, his former friends turning away from him in disgust…

If he didn't agree to Chastity's terms he'd lose all the respect he'd worked so hard to attain.

_And if I do, I'll lose whatever's left of my self respect._

As much as he hated it, he knew what he had to do.

**Do whatever you want with the pictures. I don't care anymore.**

Dave hoped that once she realised the pictures weren't going to be useful as blackmail material she'd lose interest in them. If she didn't… He'd cross that bridge when and if he came to it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I couldn't find a way to explain the reason Chastity was in Westerville that night in this story so I've added a scene from her point of view to 'Detours' which can be found on my profile. (It's the third chapter.)**


	11. Chapter 10

Dave wasn't really surprised on Sunday night when Kurt called to tell him he needed to look at Jacob Ben Israel's blog. A quick glance at facebook proved that pretty much everyone had seen the photos. His wall was overrun with messages, most of them confused and many of them hateful.

When he arrived at school he was greeted with universal incredulous stares, numerous vicious whispers, and a smattering of disgusted insults hurled at him from all directions. He wasn't in the building five minutes before he was slushied by his former hockey teammates. As he was trying to clear the stinging syrup from his eyes, he felt a hand grab his arm. He started to pull away before he heard Kurt's voice say "It's me, you idiot."

Kurt led him into a bathroom and helped him clean the slushie from his face. When he was able to open his eyes properly again he realised Blaine was there too.

"Are you ok?" the former Dalton student asked him.

"I'll live."

"I wasn't just talking about the slushie," he said sympathetically. "A similar thing happened to me at my first high school. I know how difficult it is to be outed before you're ready."

"I'm ok. There's nothing I can do about it now anyway. I just have to deal with it."

"Well if you need anything, we're here, ok?" Kurt offered.

"Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it."

"Do you have a spare shirt?"

"Yeah, I brought a few just in case."

"We'll leave you to get changed then."

* * *

><p>Dave's morning went as well as could be expected. He was late for his first class because of the time he spent cleaning up after the slushie attack. He was followed everywhere by stares and whispers. On the bright side, all the school's homophobes were so focused on him they didn't even notice Kurt and Blaine holding hands in the hallway between first and second period.<p>

He didn't bother heading towards the cafeteria at lunchtime. When people saw him sitting by himself they'd just torment him more. He ducked into the empty locker room, the place where everything had started to go wrong (or right, Dave wasn't really sure which anymore), to call Alex.

"I love you," he said as soon as his boyfriend answered the phone.

"I love you too. Are you ok?"

"I think so. I just really needed to hear your voice to remind myself why this is all worth it."

"I'd give anything to be there with you right now."

"Could you meet me here after school? I think I'm still going to try out for the football team this afternoon but I should be finished by the time you get here."

"Of course I can."

"I guess I'll see you this afternoon then."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Dave hung up the phone and flinched as the locker room door opened. He was relieved when he saw that it was Blaine.

"There you are. Kurt's had me searching the whole school for you." He pulled out his phone. "I found him, honey; we're in the locker room… Ok, we'll meet you there." He hung up the phone and turned back to Dave. "Come on."

Dave reluctantly followed Blaine out into the hallway.

Kurt met them just outside the cafeteria. He grabbed Dave's arm with a firm grip that made it clear protesting would be futile and led him to the table where the rest of the glee club were sitting. They were staring at him with expressions that contained varying degrees of curiosity, resentment and sympathy. Rachel stood up to address him, clearly speaking on behalf of the group.

"We'd like you to know that we're sympathetic to your situation. While most of us aren't ready to forgive you for your past actions, Kurt has convinced us that you're at least worthy of a second chance." It was clear from her tone that she at least was nowhere near ready to forgive him. However, quite a few of the other gleeks appeared considerably less hostile. "You're welcome to sit with us, and to join glee club if you wish, but you should know that you'll be considered on indefinite probation until such time as we can all agree that you've earned our trust." She sat down again, and Dave allowed himself to be pulled into a seat between Blaine and Finn.

There was an awkward silence where everyone stared at Dave with a mixture of curiosity and caution. After what seemed like forever, Blaine took pity on him and drew him into a conversation about football which Finn joined in happily, followed more warily by Puck and Sam.

* * *

><p>Dave couldn't believe he was actually going to try out for the football team when he was pretty sure most of the other players hated him. At least he seemed to have the glee guys more or less on his side. He supposed that if they could cope with being constantly ridiculed by their teammates, by <em>Dave<em> mostly the previous year, then maybe he could too. He was just about to head into the locker room when he heard a voice from behind him.

"Dude, what the _hell_?" It was Azimio. Until now, Dave had managed to avoid him.

Dave shrugged, trying not to let his (former?) friend see how nervous he was. "I'm gay."

"Yeah, that much I figured out. Since _when_?"

"Since always. I just refused to accept it before." He somehow managed to keep his voice level.

Azimio shook his head vehemently. "You can't be. Not _you_. You're not some pansy-ass fairy. You play football, you talk normal, you dress normal. You're a _dude_."

"Yeah, and I happen to be into other dudes." Inside, Dave was trying desperately to convince himself that he didn't care what Azimio thought of him.

Azimio's mask of emphatic denial slipped, revealing complete and utter confusion. "I really don't know what to think right now."

"Think whatever you want. It won't change who I am."

"I… I need some time to get my head around this. It just doesn't make sense."

"Well… let me know when you figure it out, I guess."

Azimio nodded and headed into the locker room.

Dave stared after him. He had expected his former best friend to be disgusted by him. He assumed Azimio would treat him the way the two of them had treated Kurt. This reaction was far from ideal, there was still a good chance Azimio would decide he hated Dave, but it was infinitely better than anything Dave had dared to hope for.

Football tryouts went surprisingly well. He received a few glares and slurs in the locker room but the glee guys backed him up and once Coach Bieste appeared everyone kept their mouths shut. Azimio stayed uncharacteristically silent the entire time, occasionally glancing at Dave, looking conflicted.

When Dave was finally able to leave he was relieved to find Alex waiting for him in the parking lot. He immediately ran over to envelop his boyfriend in a fierce hug.

"Are you ok?" Alex asked.

"I'm certainly a lot better now you're here."

"I'm so sorry about all of this. We should have been more careful. I should never have made you come on that date."

Dave pulled out of the hug a little so he could look Alex in the eye. "You have nothing to apologise for. If I really hadn't wanted to go on that date with you I wouldn't have. I stopped being careful because I _don't_ care anymore, not that much anyway. Yeah, I'll admit today sucked, but everyone will get bored of picking on me eventually. At least now I don't have to live with the constant fear of being discovered. It's out of my hands now. People are going to think whatever they want to think, and I seem to remember you telling me that anyone who can't accept me isn't worth my time."

"Wow. You're handling this really well."

Dave shrugged. "Everyone who's important to me has already accepted me. My parents support me, I have friends, I have an _amazing_ boyfriend. What the rest of the world thinks of us doesn't matter. All that really matters is that I love you, and that by some miracle you love me too. As long as I've got you, I think I can cope with pretty much anything."

"Well I'm certainly not going anywhere."

Dave leaned down to kiss Alex tenderly, not caring who saw them.

It was possible that two or three of the departing football players did see them, and that they started moving towards the couple but hesitated when they saw Finn, Puck, Sam, Mike and Artie glaring at them warningly. It was also possible that Azimio distracted them by suggesting they plot a way to steal Jacob Ben Israel's video camera instead.

If any of those things happened, Dave didn't notice. He was far too preoccupied to be aware of anyone but Alex.

~FIN~

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thankyou so much to everyone who has read this story. I hope this last chapter lived up to your expectations. If it didn't, feel free to let me know what you didn't like.**


End file.
